


Vindication

by a_lanart



Series: The O'Niall Chronicles [21]
Category: Highlander: The Series, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Community: consci_fan_mo, Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-07
Updated: 2013-12-07
Packaged: 2018-01-03 21:03:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1073024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_lanart/pseuds/a_lanart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Richie can be stubborn, he was when he was a kid and he is now he's 400 and odd. This is not always a bad thing.<br/>This is the sequel, from Richie's pov, of <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/1071564">Absent Friends</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	Vindication

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Richie et al are owned by Panzer/Davis, Voyager is owned by Paramount.

~*~

Vindication

*

Richie woke to the incessant beeping of his console. With a growl of frustration, and steadily muttering curses, he dragged himself from his bed pausing only to pick his robe off the floor. He hit the 'accept' button as soon as he reached his desk and flopped into the waiting chair. The screen cleared to show the UFP logo, which disappeared to leave the image of a Starfleet Admiral. It just happened to be one he knew very well. Soraya Dawson; friend, Watcher (though not *his*) and something hush hush but fairly high in the chain of command in Starfleet security. She looked tired, the lines around her dark eyes more pronounced than usual and her black hair more than a little rumpled; but despite this, there was an air of quiet triumph about her and a tiny smile hovering on one side of her mouth.

Richie grimaced at her; he hoped she didn't mind, but he didn't feel up to a smile.

"Soraya. This better be good or you're gonna regret waking me up from the first good sleep I've had in weeks."

Soraya's tiny smile transformed itself into a huge grin, which wiped the lines of stress and too many late nights away from her face, making her look years younger. Richie found himself intrigued, even though he still felt half dead.

"This is better than good, Richie. This is so far beyond good, it's untrue and if I *hadn't* woken you up and told you straight away, I think you would have cut my heart out with a spoon and made me eat it." She paused, and it appeared that she was trying to dampen down her smile. It didn't entirely work.

He stared at her image on the screen, but in the end he couldn't help but ask, instead of waiting. Soraya Dawson could out-wait anyone and even though he had a few hundred years on her, Richie still tended to be impatient.

"Well?" He found her enthusiasm infectious, and his bad temper had started to evaporate in anticipation of whatever news it was she was bursting to tell him.

"Siannon's alive."

"What!" Richie jumped out of his seat and leaned closer to the screen. "Where is she? How did you find out? Can I see her? Is she all right?"

"One thing at a time. And for God's sake sit down." Richie sat. "Thanks. Right now; as for where... do you remember Voyager?"

"Voyager?... Oh, that's the ship that disappeared in the Badlands about four years ago, right?" He relaxed slightly, leaning back in his chair.

"Right. Well it wasn't destroyed like everyone thought, it just ended up in the delta quadrant."

"The delta quadrant?!" Richie almost exploded out of his chair again but had to hand it to Soraya that she didn't even crack a smile at his reaction. He settled back into his seat. "That's a hell of a long journey home they've got ahead of them." He shook his head in disbelief, then realised what Soraya *hadn't* told him. "You're saying that Siannon's out there with them?"

Soraya grinned at him. "Got it in one. She had less than a one in a million chance of finding them, and she managed it. Talk about the luck of the Irish. Not only that, but Voyager managed to make use of an alien communications net to contact us, which is how I learnt the news about Siannon." Her smile faded and Richie wished he could reach out to reassure her with a touch. Obviously there was also less than good news she needed to share "Unfortunately, we've now lost contact with them again," she said.

"Shit."

"And a bucket load of it. At least we've had some good news though."

"You could say that." It was Richie's turn to grin. "I *knew* she was alive, and did anyone believe me? No... not even you."

Soraya smiled back at him. "Goes to show how wrong I can be sometimes, doesn't it? Goodnight Rich." The UFP logo briefly dominated the screen once more, until he hit the stand by switch.

Richie made his way back to bed, but didn't try to get back to sleep immediately. Instead he lay lost in memories of a friendship that had lasted centuries, and a stubborn hope that had refused to die, against all odds. He was sure that when he did fall asleep, it would be with a smile on his face.


End file.
